I read an interesting stat regarding the VIX for 2017; the VIX has gone below 10, 84 times (and counting) in 2017. Prior to this year it went below 10 only 9 times in 27 years! Unprecedented. Keep an eye on UVXY when the VIX goes below 10 because that's when it looks to go up.

On the geopolitical front I think there's only one thing on the horizon that would spike the VIX (apart from another black swan event) and that's war with North Korea. Jim Rickards is noted as saying the US will attack North Korea before March 20th after having a meeting with the CIA director Mike Pompeo. He said a war with North Korea doesn't necessarily imply a stock market crash as it's good for defence stocks, manufacturers and tech but I personally think the VIX would spike as a high period of volatility usually follows a low period of volatility and you only have to look at a weekly of the VIX to see it's been beaten down this year.